retrospection

Reviewing the past

Retrospection is the act of looking back on past events or experiences.

It implies thoughtful review rather than casual remembering: In retrospection, I should have taken that job.

The word is more formal than its common relative, retrospect, which appears mostly in the phrase in retrospect.

memory

recollection

Recalled mental image

reminiscenceRecalling past experiences
recallMemory retrieval act
flashbackInvoluntary past memory

memories · remembrance · autobiographical · episodic · retrieval · nostalgia · memoir · anamnesis · hindsight · afterthought

introspection

self-examination

Scrutiny of one's thoughts

soul-searchingProbing one's innermost feelings
self-reflectionExamining one's own mind
self-awarenessInsight into one's psyche

self-scrutiny · self-analysis · self-questioning · self-observation · self-discovery · self-inquiry · self-perception · mindfulness · contemplation · meditation

historical

history

Record of past events

chronicleOrdered historical record
heritageInherited cultural legacy
legacyWhat's passed down

archives · documentation · oral-history · testimony · annals · antiquity · epoch · era · timeline · ancestry

analytical

review

Critical written assessment

evaluationDetermining worth or quality
assessmentFormal evaluation of worth
examinationMethodical assessment or review

postmortem · debriefing · audit · appraisal · critique · analysis · reassessment · stocktaking · after-action · feedback

Categories

memoryremember, forget, recall, memorize, recollect
introspectionself-examination, self-reflection, self-awareness, self-analysis, soul searching
memoirsmemoir, memoirs, autobiography, autobiographies, life story
memoriesmemories, remember, recollections, childhood memory, childhood memories
nostalgianostalgia, nostalgic, memories, memory, remember
narrative timeflashback, flashforward, foreshadowing, pacing, chronology

Opposites

temporal direction of thought

retrospectionanticipation

State of awaiting something

prospection · foresight · forward-looking · preview · forecasting

engagement with memory

retrospectionforgetting

Failing to retain memories

oblivion · amnesia · overlooking · repression · disregard

temporal focus vs. presence

retrospectionliving in the moment

Awareness of present experience

mindfulness · presence · immediacy

Phrases

career retrospectiveReview of professional achievements

Family

retrospective, retrospectively, retrospections

Familiarity: Top 200,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Everyday, not technical · Rated G